North-Western  College 
Bulletin 


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The  Inauguration  of 
Edward  Everett  Rally  Ph.D. 
as  President  of 
North-Western  College 


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NORTH-WESTERN  COLLEGE 


DEPARTMENTS 

North-Western  College  comprises  the  following  Depart- 
ments : 

1.  The  College  of  Arts  and  Sciences 

2.  The  Academy 

3.  The  School  of  Commerce 

4.  The  School  of  Music 

5.  The  School  of  Art 

The  College  is  a member  of  the  North  Central  Association 
of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools,  of  the  Association  of  Ameri- 
can Colleges,  and  of  the  Federation  of  Illinois  Colleges. 

The  Academy  is  a member  of  the  North  Central  Association 
of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools,  and  of  the  North  Academic 
Association. 


NORTH-WESTERN  COLLEGE  BULLETIN 


The  North-Western  College  Bulletin  is  issued  quarterly  in 
April,  July,  October  and  January.  The  April  number  consists 
of  the  Annual  Catalog  and  Announcement,  the  other  numbers 
of  matters  of  general  interest  concerning  the  College.  Copies 
of  the  Bulletin  are  mailed  on  request.  Address  :• 

E.  E.  Ball,  President, 
North-Western  College, 

Naperville,  III. 


NORTH-WESTERN  COLLEGE  BULLETIN 

The  Inauguration 

Edward  Everett  Rail,  Ph.  D. 

as  President  of  North-Western  College 


Table  of  Contents 

PAGE 

Program  of  Exercises 3 

Inauguration  Ode  5 

Account  of  Inauguration  (from  the  College  Chronicle) 8 

Representatives  of  Colleges  in  Attendance 11 

Address,  Samuel  P.  Capen 12 

Address  of  Installation,  Samuel  P.  Spreng 22 

Inaugural  Address,  Edward  Everett  Rail 25 

Extracts  from  First  Annual  Report  of  President  Rail 34 


Naperville,  III. 
October,  1917 


President  Edward  Everett  Rail 


PROGRAM 


Inauguration  of  Edward  Everett  Rail,  Ph.D., 
as  President  of  North-Western  College 

College  Day,  May  17,  1917,  Naperville,  III. 

ACADEMIC  PROCESSION 

9 :30  A.  M. — From  Goldspohn  Hall  to  First  Evangelical  Church 
Professors  M.  E.  Nonnamaker  and  C.  B.  Bowman,  Marshals 

College  Band* 

First  Division. — Academy  and  Commercial  students,  music 
students,  freshmen,  sophomores,  juniors,  seniors. 

Second  Division. — Students  of  the  Seminary,  alumni,  faculty 
of  the  Seminary,  faculty  of  the  College. 

Third  Division. — Invited  guests,  representatives  of  colleges 
and  universities,  trustees,  speakers. 


* “Inauguration  March”  composed  expressly  for  the  occasion  by  Prof. 
J.  J.  Neitz,  director  of  the  band. 

INSTALLATION  EXERCISES 

10:00  A.  M. — First  Evangelical  Church 
Bishop  Samuel  P.  Spreng,  D.D., 

Chairman  Board  of  Trustees,  Presiding 
Organ  Prelude 

Invocation Prof.  Harris  Franklin  Rail,  Ph.D.,  D.D. 

Hymn — “0  Worship  the  King” 

Prayer Bishop  S.  C.  Breyfogel,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Address Hon.  Samuel  P.  Capen,  Ph.D. 

Specialist  in  Higher  Education,  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education 

Inauguration  Ode Soloists  and  Chorus 

Address  of  Installation Bishop  Samuel  P.  Spreng,  D.D. 

Address  of  Acceptance Pres.  Edward  E.  Rail,  Ph.D. 

North-Western  College  Song Chorus  and  Audience 

Benediction Rev.  A.  J.  Boelter 


LUNCHEON 

12 :30  P.  M. — Dining  Hall,  First  Evangelical  Church 
Dean  George  J.  Kirn,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  Toastmaster 
Music N.-W.  C.  Ladies’  Glee  Club 

Responses 

Supt.  Francis  E.  Blair,  LL.D.,  of  the  Illinois  State  Department 
of  Education. 

Dean  Kendric  C.  Babcock,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  for  the  University  of 
Illinois. 

Pres.  Thomas  F.  Holgate,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity, for  the  Federation  of  Illinois  Colleges,  and  for  the  North 
Central  Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools. 

Music Ladies’  Glee  Club 

Bishop  S.  C.  Breyfogel,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Reading,  Pa.,  for  the  Evan- 
gelical Association. 

Dr.  Albert  Goldspohn,  M.S.,  M.D.,  Chicago,  for  the  Board  of 
Trustees. 

Rev.  Edmond  E.  Reiser,  Ph.B.,  ’06,  Chicago,  President  Alumni 
Association,  for  the  Alumni. 

Pres.  S.  J.  Gamertsfelder,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  for  the  Evangelical  Theo- 
logical Seminary. 

Ex-Pres.  H.  H.  Rassweiler,  A.  M.,  for  Naperville. 

Music Ladies’  Glee  Club 

BASEBALL  GAME 

2:45  P.  M. — Seager  Field 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  College  vs.  North-Western  College 

INFORMAL  RECEPTION 

Bishop  and  Mrs.  Spreng  and  President  Rall 
For  Guests  of  the  College,  Trustees,  and  Faculty,  from  4:00  to 
5:00  P.  M.,  Carnegie  Library 

CONCERT 

Men’s  Glee  Club,  North-Western  College 
8 :00  P.  M.,  First  Evangelical  Church 


4 


INAUGURATION  ODE 

Words  by  Harold  E.  White, 

Professor  of  English,  North-Western  College 

Music  by  J.  Francis  Maguire, 

Director  School  of  Music,  North-Western  College 

Soloists 


Miss  Louise  Burton Soprano 

Miss  Mildred  Brown Violinist 

Prof.  Chester  J.  Attig Baritone 

Prof.  Harold  E.  White Tenor 

Prof.  J.  Francis  Maguire Pianist 

Miss  Luella  Messerschmidt Organist 


(Baritone  Recitative) 

Shall  not  the  voice  of  him  -who  feels 
The  splendor  of  this  day  within 
His  bounding  heart — and  now  appeals 
To  heaven’s  high  throne  above — begin 
A strain  as  high?  O say, 

Where,  Orpheus,  is  thy  magic  lute  today? 
Where,  vain  Apollo,  hangs  thy  lyre  ? 

(Tenor  Aria) 

Where,  all  ye  muses,  is  the  sacred  choir? 
Where,  where,  where  is  your  heavenly  choir? 

(Female  Voices) 

We  come  in  triumph  from  the  skies 
To  blend  celestial  harmonies 
With  mortal  tongues. 

Divine  Athena  bids  the  praise 
Simplicity  hath  given — soft  lays 
And  simple  songs. 

Hail!  mortals,  hail!  We  celebrate 
Your  festal  day  with  hymns  of  state 
In  the  great  halls  above 
Who  stands  today  in  Wisdom’s  guise 
Shall  lead  the  humble  and  the  wise 
To  the  great  task  of  love. 

Then  hail  him,  mortals,  with  a loud  acclaim. 
Nor  render  false  the  praise  or  blame. 


(Soprano  Aria) 

Ah!  Whence  those  strains,  ’tis  not  in  us 
To  envy — though  we  cannot  sing? 

Some  choir  celestial  coming  thus 
Harmonious  praises  bring, 

Whose  hymns  we  may  not  envy,  though  them  we  cannot  sing 
(Male  Chorus) 

No  ancient  paean  in  classic  pride 
Avails,  nor  Bacchannalian  lay: 

A holier  muse  shall  be  our  guide 
To  solemnize  this  festal  day. 

Daughters  and  sons  of  the  soil 
With  joy  and  grief  for  our  girth — 

Ours  be  the  praise  of  toil 
And  a mortal  being’s  worth. 

Then  hail  him,  hail  him  with  a loud  acclaim. 

Nor  render  false  the  praise  or  blame! 

(Mixed  Chorus) 

From  North  and  South,  ’twixt  sea  and  sea. 

Remotest  bounds  have  yielded  up  to  thee. 

To  thee,  our  Alma  Mater  dear. 

The  children  thou  hast  summoned  here. 

We  bring  the  glad  heart’s  welcome  to  our  chief. 

And  reverence  and  loyalty  devout; 

And  none  shall  mar  that  loyalty  with  doubt. 

Or  set  a thorn  beside  the  laurel  leaf 
That  crowns  him;  but  the  iron  gate  of  grief 
Be  ever  closed  to  the  sad  strain  without; 

While  on  this  happy  day  our  voices  shout 
The  praise  of  him  who  comes  to  be  our  chief. 

Then  hail  him,  Alma  Mater,  with  a loud  acclaim. 

Nor  render  false  the  praise  or  blame! 


6 


Carnegie  Library 


Goldspohn  Science  Hall 


Nichols  Gymnasium 


Main  Building 


Heating  Plant 


EDWARD  EVERETT  RALL  INAUGURATED  PRESIDENT 
OF  NORTH-WESTERN  COLLEGE 


(From  The  College  Chronicle,  May  22,  1917) 

Perhaps  the  greatest  event  which  North-Western  ever  has 
seen,  was  the  inauguration  of  Edward  Everett  Rail,  Ph.D.,  into 
the  presidency  of  North-Western  College.  As  a stage  in  its  his- 
tory, May  17  marks  the  end  to  a period  of  recent  rapid  develop- 
ment only  to  be  the  beginning  of  another  period  of  more  rapid 
growth  and  progress.  North-Western  during  the  past  six  years 
has  made  a big  stride  toward  that  type  of  a small  educational 
Christian  college  which  is  set  up  by  authorities  as  the  ideal  col- 
lege of  the  future,  and  with  one  year  of  sufficient  proof,  promises 
to  reach  that  ideal  under  the  efficient  government  of  the  new 
president.  Dr.  Edward  E.  Rail  succeeds  Dr.  Lawrence  H.  Seager, 
whose  election  to  the  bishopric  in  1915  caused  the  vacancy.  Be- 
fore coming  to  North-Western,  Dr.  Rail  held  the  position  of  Pro- 
fessor of  Education  at  the  University  of  Tennessee,  succeeding 
the  Honorable  P.  P.  Claxton  when  he  was  appointed  Commis- 
sioner of  Education  by  the  Federal  government. 

The  inauguration  of  a president  into  a college  in  such  a crit- 
ical time  as  the  present,  is  a momentous  event,  for  the  duties  of 
the  college  president  since  the  war  began  have  increased  twofold. 
But  Thursday  morning  loomed  up  beautiful  and  bright  and 
nothing  marred  the  solemnity  of  the  great  occasion.  Twenty- 
eight  college  and  university  presidents,  professors  and  repre- 
sentatives, together  with  the  trustees  and  more  than  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  out-of-town  guests,  alumni,  besides  Naperville 
friends  honored  Dr.  Rail  with  their  presence  at  the  inauguration. 

At  9 :45  the  academic  procession  beginning  with  the  Academy 
and  Commercial  students  and  ending  with  the  trustees,  visitors 
and  speakers  gowned  in  their  representative  university  colors, 
left  the  campus  and  marched  through  the  streets  of  Naperville, 
to  the  tune  of  Prof.  Neitz’s  “Inaugural  March”  to  the  First  Evan- 
gelical Church.  When  the  head  of  the  procession  reached  the 
church  corner  the  double  file  opened  ranks  while  the  seniors,  trus- 
tees, visitors  and  speakers  marched  through  and  into  the  church. 

INSTALLATION  EXERCISES 

Bishop  Samuel  P.  Spreng,  D.D.,  chairman  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  presided  at  the  installation  exercises.  Professor  Harris 
Franklin  Rail,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  of  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  brother 


of  Doctor  E.  E.  Rail,  pronounced  the  invocation.  After  the  audi- 
ence sang  the  hymn,  “0  Worship  the  King,’'  and  Bishop  S.  C. 
Breyfogel,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  of  Reading,  Pa.,  offered  a prayer,  the 
Honorable  Samuel  P.  Capen,  Ph.D.,  specialist  in  higher  education 
of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education,  gave  the  address.  Dr.  Capen 
took  the  place  of  Honorable  P.  P.  Claxton,  whose  duties  in  Wash- 
ington unfortunately  prevented  him  from  coming,  but  he  brought 
with  him  an  official  commission  of  congratulation  from  the  Bu- 
reau of  Education.  Dr.  Capen  in  his  address  pointed  out  the 
duties  of  a college  president  and  showed  how  in  this  critical 
time  of  war  he  must  more  than  ever  use  the  wisest  judgment  and 
tact  and  must  subordinate  all  personal  desire  to  the  welfare  of 
the  nation.  The  President  must  be  the  interpreter  of  the  Ameri- 
can soul  and  must  help  build  up  its  body.  This  war  is  a war  for 
chemists,  doctors,  scientists,  agriculturists,  and  the  institutions 
must  be  preserved  for  the  nation’s  sake.  Dr.  Capen  congratu- 
lated North-Western  on  her  inauguration  of  an  educationalist 
into  the  presidency,  and  told  of  some  of  Dr.  Rail’s  influence  among 
the  colleges  of  the  South. 

INAUGURATION  ODE 

An  ode  written  expressly  for  the  occasion  by  Prof.  H.  E. 
White,  with  music  composed  by  Prof.  J.  F.  Maguire,  was  beauti- 
fully sung  by  the  chorus  and  soloists : Miss  Burton,  soprano ; 
Prof.  C.  J.  Attig,  baritone;  Prof.  H.  E.  White,  tenor;  with  Miss 
Brown  as  violinist.  Miss  Messerschmidt  as  organist  and  Prof. 
Maguire  as  pianist. 

Bishop  Samuel  P.  Spreng,  D.D.,  next  gave  the  installation 
address.  He  showed  the  remarkable  growth  of  North-Western 
College  since  1861,  through  the  presidential  terms  of  A.  A.  Smith, 
H.  H.  Rassweiler,  H.  J.  Kiekhoefer  and  L.  H.  Seager  (with  a 
short  interim  in  which  L.  M.  Umbach  presided).  Dr.  Spreng 
gave  the  sentiments  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  as  well  as  of  the 
entire  student  body  when  he  told  Dr.  Rail  of  the  faith  and  respect 
which  is  placed  in  his  integrity,  his  loyalty  and  his  scholarship. 

INAUGURAL  ADDRESS 

In  his  address  of  acceptance.  Dr.  Rail  outlined  what  in  his 
opinion  will  be  the  college  of  the  future.  It  will  be  the  smaller 
college,  co-educational,  Christian,  will  meet  modern  social  needs 
by  adding  modern  studies  to  its  curriculum ; will  enter  into  pro- 
fessional studies;  will  be  broadly  humanistic;  will  train  for  lei- 


sure  hours,  and  will  vocationalize  the  older  liberal  studies  and 
liberalize  the  vocational  studies.  It  will  strive  for  quality  and 
quantity,  and  will  develop  first  the  man,  then  the  scholar. 

After  Dr.  RalFs  acceptance.  Miss  Sayde  Winter  presented 
Doctor  Rail  with  a large  basket  of  flowers  and  a North-Western 
College  seal  ring  as  a token  of  the  student  body’s  appreciation. 

The  program  ended  with  “America”  and  the  North-Western 
College  song  by  the  audience  and  benediction  by  Reverend  A.  J. 
Boelter. 

LUNCHEON 

At  12 :30  a luncheon  was  given  in  the  parlors  of  the  church 
at  which  Dean  George  J.  Kirn,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  acted  as  toastmaster. 
Responses  were  given  by  Supt.  Francis  E.  Blair,  LL.D.,  of  the 
Illinois  State  Department  of  Education;  by  Dean  K.  C.  Babcock 
for  the  University  of  Illinois ; by  President  Thomas  F.  Holgate, 
Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  North-Western  University,  for  the  Federation  of 
Illinois  Colleges,  and  for  the  North  Central  Association  of  Col- 
leges and  Secondary  Schools;  by  Bishop  S.  C.  Breyfogel,  D.D., 
LL.D.,  Reading,  Pa.,  for  the  Evangelical  Association;  by  Dr. 
Albert  Goldspohn,  M.S.,  M.D.,  Chicago,  for  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees; by  Reverend  E.  E.  Reiser,  Ph.B.,  ’06,  Chicago,  president 
Alumni  Association,  for  the  alumni ; by  Pres.  S.  J.  Gamertsfelder, 
Ph.D.,  D.D.,  for  the  E.  T.  S.,  and  ex-President  H.  H.  Rassweiler, 
A.M.,  for  Naperville. 

From  four  to  five  a reception  was  held  in  Carnegie  Library 
for  the  guests  by  Bishop  and  Mrs.  S.  P.  Spreng  and  President 
Rail. 

It  was  very  much  regretted  by  the  students  and  faculty  that 
Bishop  L.  H.  Seager  could  not  attend  the  inauguration  of  his 
successor,  as  duties  kept  him  at  various  conferences  at  the  coast ; 
and  that  Prof.  L.  M.  Umbach  was  too  ill  to  attend. 


in 


Representatives  of  Colleges  and  Universities  in  Attend- 
ance Upon  the  Inauguration 

In  spite  of  added  duties  due  to  the  war  which  caused  many 
college  presidents  who  expected  to  attend  to  send  regrets,  many 
representatives  were  present,  as  indicated  below: 


Representing 

Pres.  Thomas  F.  Holgate Northwestern  University- 

Dean  Kendric  C.  Babcock University  of  Illinois 

Pres.  John  S.  Nollen Lake  Forest  College 

Pres.  John  B.  Furay Loyola  University 

Pres.  S.  J.  Gamertsf elder Evangelical  Theological  Seminary 

Pres.  Charles  A.  Blanchard W^heaton  College 

Pres.  Orrin  R.  Jenks Aurora  College 

Prof.  Ernest  Breslich,  University  of  Chicago Baldwin-Wallace  College 

Prof.  James  Westfall  Thompson,  University  of  Chicago.  . . .Rutgers  College 

Prof.  Sidney  I.  Kornhauser,  Northwestern  U University  of  Pittsburgh 

Prof.  Harris  Franklin  Rail Garrett  Biblical  Institute 

Prof.  Eugene  E.  Gill,  Armour  Institute Dickinson  College 

Prof.  George  Scherger Armour  Institute 

Prof.  Alfred  Phillips,  Armour  Institute Union  College 

Prof.  W.  Clyde  Allee,  Lake  Forest  College Earlham  College 

Mr.  John  J.  Didcoct,  H.  S.  Inspector,  U.  of  111.  . .Teachers’  Coll.,  Columbia  U. 

Mrs.  Harlan  W.  Cooley,  Chicago Vassar  College 

Mr.  Herman  Frank,  Chicago College  of  the  City  of  New  York 

Bishop  S.  C.  Breyfogel,  Reading,  Pa Schuylkill  Seminary 

Mr.  Guy  C.  Pierce,  Chicago Tufts  College 

Mr.  Charles  J.  Jones,  Wheaton Western  Reserve  University 

Mr.  Chester  A.  Cook,  Chicago Brown  University 

Mr.  Charles  R.  Rail,  Pittsburgh University  of  Iowa 

Rev.  James  F.  Jenness,  Downers  Grove.  . .Leland  Stanford  Junior  University 

Mr.  Arthur  R.  Dean,  Winnetka Doane  College 

Rev.  Robert  L.  Shepherd,  Wheaton Missouri  Valley  College 


Hon.  Samuel  P.  Capen,  Ph.D.,  Specialist  in  Education 

Bureau  of  Education,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Hon.  Francis  G.  Blair,  LL.D Illinois  State  Department  of  Education 


11 


ADDRESS  AT  THE  INAUGURATION  OF  PRESIDENT 
EDWARD  E.  RALL,  NORTH-WESTERN  COLLEGE, 
MAY  17,  1917 

Samuel  P.  Capen 

The  inauguration  of  a college  president  is  a solemn  event.  It 
is  big  with  promise  to  the  community  over  which  he  is  to  pre- 
side. No  other  ceremony  except  a wedding  is  so  full  of  portent. 
None  other  arouses  in  like  degree  the  hopes  and  fears  of  friends 
and  connections.  Marriage  alone  holds  equal  possibilities  of  for- 
tunate and  harmonious  unfolding  or  of  maladjustments  which 
are  fatal.  It  is  right  that  the  supporters  of  the  institution  should 
gather  in  force  on  the  occasion  to  pledge  their  loyalty  to  the  new 
leader  and  to  give  him  the  intangible  but  precious  assurance  of 
their  confidence.  It  is  right  that  representatives  of  the  State 
and  Nation  should  join  in  wishing  him  Godspeed. 

This  has  been  an  almost  immemorial  custom.  Yet  within  the 
memories  of  most  of  us  here  the  conditions  of  the  presidency 
have  changed  completely.  The  office  has  always  been  one  of 
dignity  and  wide  influence  not  only  inside  the  institution  but 
without  its  walls.  It  is  that  no  less  today.  The  college  president 
is  still  the  captain  of  his  citadel,  the  judge  of  his  tribe,  and  the 
spokesman  of  the  wider  community  in  all  matters  largely  affect- 
ing the  public  welfare.  But  to  these  fundamental  and  primary 
functions,  which  have  not  changed  much  since  colleges  began 
in  the  United  States,  several  others  have  been  superadded  which 
are  peculiarly  modern;  for  example,  the  functions  of  financier, 
of  organizer,  of  exponent  of  the  recently  developed  science  of 
administration.  Each  of  these  represents  a profession  in  itself, 
yet  the  college  president  must  be  able  to  practice  them  all  simul- 
taneously and  achieve  a certain  measure  of  success  in  each,  if  he 
is  to  fulfill  the  present  demands  of  his  office.  There  is  still  an- 
other phase  of  the  president’s  task,  however,  which  has  appar- 
ently always  belonged  to  it,  but  which  of  late  has  acquired  new 
meaning  and  entails  new  responsibilities.  I should  like  to  dwell 
on  it  for  a moment. 

The  modern  president  is  expected  to  be,  or  as  soon  as  possible 
to  become,  an  expert  on  college  education.  This  was  expected 
of  his  remote  predecessors  as  well.  But  the  condition  of  being 
an  expert  on  matters  affecting  the  training  of  college  youth  is 
now  far  more  difficult  of  attainment  than  it  was  a generation 
ago.  I do  not  need  to  recall  the  expansion  of  the  college  itself. 


12 


the  evolution  of  the  many  schools  and  courses  out  of  the  simple 
institution  of  former  times  with  its  one  high  road  to  culture 
and  its  one  purpose  held  singly  and  without  misgiving.  The  col- 
lege of  our  fathers  has  become  a hydra-headed  organism  serving 
a variety  of  purposes,  most  of  them  professional.  Not  every 
institution,  to  be  sure,  exhibits  the  full  complexity  of  the  new 
genus.  Not  every  college  is  a university,  or  on  the  way  to  be 
one.  It  is  not  even  desirable  that  all  should  develop  in  this  direc- 
tion. But  to  be  an  expert  on  college  education  a president  must 
not  only  be  familiar  with  the  aims  and  methods  of  the  particular 
type  of  institution  which  he  is  called  to  direct;  he  must  know 
also  the  status  and  tendencies  of  higher  education  in  all  its 
manifestations  throughout  the  United  States. 

In  its  latest  report  the  Bureau  of  Education  recognizes  563 
institutions  as  justified  in  calling  themselves  colleges  or  univer- 
sities. Disregarding  the  three  or  four  hundred  more  which  as- 
sume one  or  the  other  designation,  consider  what  an  enormous 
task  lies  before  the  man  who  wishes  to  become  conversant  with 
the  current  trend  of  collegiate  education  in  America.  For  in 
spite  of  recent  spasmodic  efforts,  colleges  are  not  yet  standard- 
ized and  reduced  to  type.  No  two  of  the  563  are  absolutely  alike. 
Some  of  them,  to  be  sure,  need  claim  very  little  of  the  investi- 
gator’s attention,  but  there  are  perhaps  a hundred  which  have 
made  and  are  making  noteworthy  contributions  to  the  prac- 
tice of  college  teaching  and  administration.  These  are  scattered 
all  over  the  country.  They  respond  to  the  demands  of  the  most 
diverse  constituencies.  They  are  controlled  some  by  the  State, 
some  by  municipalities,  some  by  churches,  and  some  by  inde- 
pendent boards  of  trustees.  They  represent  divergent  educa- 
tional philosophies.  According  to  their  environment,  they  em- 
body different  social  ideals.  Organized  into  sectional  groups, 
they  establish  different  standards  of  admission,  different  require- 
ments for  the  same  degrees.  They  speak  collectively  through 
the  medium  of  various  associations.  Yet  notwithstanding  this 
diversity,  there  is  growing  among  colleges  a consciousness  that 
they  are  all  parts  one  of  another.  Their  interests  are  common, 
not  conflicting.  By  the  greatest  variety  of  means  they  endeavor 
to  serve  the  same  general  ends.  Without  surrendering  individual 
characteristics,  they  can  make  this  service  most  effective  by 
co-operation  and  by  the  fullest  interchange  of  opinion  and 
experience. 


13 


A glance  is  sufficient  to  show  the  importance  of  this  field  of 
study.  College  education  is  no  longer  a parochial  affair;  it  has 
become  a national  enterprise.  No  college  can  live  to  itself  alone, 
shut  up  within  its  own  tradition,  limited  for  council  to  the  wisdom 
of  its  own  officers.  To  do  so  is  to  become  mired  in  provincialism. 

It  is  the  president’s  task  to  guard  it  from  this  error.  The 
friends  of  the  institution  look  to  him  to  think  cosmically  con- 
cerning college  education.  He  is  expected  to  know  other  colleges 
than  his  own,  and  to  view  his  own  in  the  light  of  others’  practices. 
He  must  interpret  to  his  faculty  and  his  board  of  trustees  the 
new  policies  and  new  conceptions  which  have  originated  in 
other  parts  of  the  country.  He  must  inspire  them  with  the  cour- 
age to  break  with  their  pasts,  if  need  be,  and  especially  with 
the  courage  to  be  different  from  their  neighbors  when  by  being 
different  the  interests  of  the  institution  and  of  those  who  attend 
it  may  be  best  promoted.  Does  this  not  mean  that  the  president 
has  a new  and  complex  specialty  to  master,  in  addition  to  his 
other  duties  as  administrator,  organizer,  financier,  and  com- 
munity leader? 

But  this  specialty  needs  more  than  an  empirical  basis.  It  is 
not  enough  that  the  president  should  study  colleges  alone;  that 
as  time  goes  on  and  as  he  avails  himself  of  the  opportunities  of 
his  office  he  should  acquire  an  intimate  knowledge  of  their  vary- 
ing practices.  Such  knowledge  to  be  fruitful  should  be  founded 
upon  and  illumined  by  an  acquaintance  with  the  science  of  edu- 
cation. Do  I need  to  remind  you  that  education  is  at  last  becom- 
ing a science?  Indeed,  it  already  possesses  a considerable  body 
of  scientific  doctrine.  This  doctrine  is  based  on  psychology,  on 
biology,  on  statistics,  on  sociology.  It  is  buttressed  by  a vast 
accumulation  of  historical  and  interpretive  material.  It  is  being 
constantly  added  to  and  modified  by  painstaking  research.  The 
English  have  an  apt  word  which  we  Americans  have  not  as  yet 
adopted,  to  designate  a person  who  devotes  himself  to  the  pur- 
suit of  this  new  science.  They  call  him  an  “educationist.”  But 
although  we  do  not  use  the  term,  we  do  have  educationists  in 
the  United  States.  Doubtless  the  largest  and  most  conspicuous 
group  of  them  is  composed  of  the  professors  of  education  in  our 
colleges  and  universities. 

It  used  to  be  the  fashion  to  choose  clergymen  as  college  presi- 
dents. Many  of  our  greatest  educational  leaders  in  the  past  have 
been  ministers.  Many  of  the  ablest  college  and  university  presi- 


14 


dents  now  living  have  left  the  pastorate  to  take  up  the  work  of 
education.  But  it  is  coming  to  be  generally  recognized  that  the 
minister’s  previous  training  does  not  as  a rule  especially  fit 
him  to  meet  the  peculiar  tasks  which  have  just  been  mentioned 
and  which  the  president  must  today  assume.  This  is  in  no  sense 
a reflection  on  the  quality  and  range  of  the  clergyman’s  train- 
ing. No  other  professional  men,  except  possibly  college  teachers, 
are  better  equipped  for  these  tasks  through  antecedent  study 
or  experience.  And  even  the  preliminary  training  of  the  aver- 
age college  teacher  does  not  bear  directly  on  the  work  of  the 
presidency.  Perhaps  it  would  be  desirable  to  establish  a school 
for  college  presidents,  or  some  agency  particularly  designed  to 
fit  men  for  the  exacting  and  multifold  duties  of  the  office.  The 
idea  has,  in  fact,  several  times  been  broached.  But  in  default 
of  the  existence  of  such  an  agency,  is  it  not  to  be  expected  that 
one  who  has  devoted  a number  of  years  specifically  to  the  study 
and  interpretation  of  educational  science  and  educational  move- 
ments has  at  the  outset  an  advantage  in  a directive  position? 
It  is  doubtless  for  this  reason  that  so  many  institutions  in  the 
last  five  years  have  been  seeking  their  executives  from  among 
the  ranks  of  professors  of  education. 

North-Western  College  has  decided — wisely,  I believe — to  fol- 
low this  new  custom.  The  president  whom  you  formally  install 
today  comes  to  you  not  only  equipped  with  that  technical  knowl- 
edge of  the  field  of  education  in  general  and  of  higher  education 
in  particular,  which  is  now  increasingly  important  in  a college 
administrator,  but  he  has  had  the  rare  good  fortune  to  be  asso- 
ciated with  perhaps  the  most  vigorous  and  astounding  develop- 
ment that  has  taken  place  in  American  education  in  the  twen- 
tieth century.  Within  the  last  fifteen  years  the  Southern  States 
have  re-created  their  school  systems.  From  the  most  rudi- 
mentary stages  they  have  built  up  systems  of  secondary  educa- 
tion which  now  compare  favorably  with  those  of  other  sections 
of  the  country.  They  have  sought  to  refine  and  purify  collegiate 
standards  and  have  suppressed  or  converted  institutions  which 
were  not  what  they  seemed.  In  this  admirable  work  President 
Rail  has  had  a part.  By  electing  a man  so  trained  and  with  such 
experience  to  this  important  office  you  have  assured  to  North- 
Western  College  that  enlightened  leadership  which  the  modern 
collegiate  enterprise  requires. 

But  beyond  offering  to  him  and  to  you  the  felicitations  of 


IS 


the  Bureau  of  Education,  I wish  to  call  your  attention  to  the  rela- 
tion which  this  ceremony  bears  to  those  grave  exigencies  of  the 
hour  which  are  now  at  all  times  uppermost  in  our  minds.  I 
have  said  that  the  assumption  of  office  of  a new  college  presi- 
dent is  both  for  him  and  for  his  community  a momentous  event. 
If  in  ordinary  times  it  is  of  serious  import,  it  is  now  doubly 
solemn. 

The  United  States  has  now  just  entered  upon  the  greatest 
adventure  in  the  history  of  the  world.  It  is  an  adventure  because 
it  leads  into  strange  and  untried  places,  because  its  end  is  unfore- 
seeable, because  it  involves  the  hazard  of  life  and  death,  because 
it  is  undertaken  deliberately  in  full  knowledge  of  the  risks.  But 
it  is  more  than  an  adventure ; it  is  a crusade,  a crusade  in  behalf 
of  principles  more  precious  than  ease  and  security,  in  behalf  of 
democracy  itself,  in  behalf  of  the  inalienable  rights  of  all  man- 
kind. It  is  a crusade  because,  like  those  ancient  soldiers  of  the 
cross,  America  has  voluntarily  relinquished  peace  and  prosperity 
for  the  attainment  of  an  object  from  which  it  can  have  no  selfish 
profit,  because,  like  them,  it  risks  its  body  to  save  its  soul.  Let 
us  make  no  mistake  about  that ; it  risks  its  body  very  definitely. 
Fortunately,  the  body  is  strong.  But  how  long  can  the  strength 
be  preserved  under  the  stress  of  a conflict  more  devastating  than 
the  world  has  seen  before.  And  yet  the  success  of  a cause  that 
could  not  be  higher,  depends  on  the  intelligent  conservation  of 
its  strength  to  withstand  a prolonged  and  exhausting  struggle. 

The  ordinary  tasks  of  a college  president  are  complicated  and 
difficult  enough,  but  to  them  has  now  been  added  another  very 
special  obligation,  which  is  implied  in  what  I have  just  said.  The 
college  president  must  in  this  great  emergency  be  the  inter- 
preter of  America’s  soul  to  his  own  people.  He  must  also  play 
a very  conspicuous  part  in  the  upbuilding  and  preservation  of 
the  body  of  the  nation.  Let  me  make  this  point  concrete. 

The  United  States  is  about  to  raise  an  army  of  a million  and 
a half.  The  young  men  who  compose  it  will  be  drawn  very 
largely  from  the  productive  ranks  of  the  country.  Their  labor 
must  be  replaced,  not  only  that  the  United  States  may  not  suf- 
fer disaster  from  lack  of  supplies,  but  that  our  allies  may  receive 
in  increasing  measure  those  commodities  without  which  they 
cannot  go  forward.  What  will  be  the  effect  of  this  dislocation 
of  the  peaceful  routine  of  national  life  upon  the  educational 
system  ? May  not  the  high  schools  and  colleges  of  the  country  be 


16 


decimated  by  the  urgent  calls  of  the  military  forces,  of  agricul- 
ture, and  of  industry?  Should  they  not  be  so?  Can  any  more 
obvious  or  appropriate  step  be  taken  by  the  officers  who  have 
these  institutions  in  charge  than  to  facilitate  in  every  way  the 
immediate  response  to  the  most  pressing  necessity  of  the  country? 
Even  if  our  higher  schools  are  temporarily  suspended,  will  it 
not  be  to  the  ultimate  advantage  of  the  nation?  Should  we 
not  now  put  wholly  aside  all  thought  of  their  improvement,  all 
thought  even  of  their  preservation? 

Such  questions  as  these  have  been  raised  continually  during 
the  past  weeks  by  the  most  patriotic  citizens.  It  seems  to  me 
that  the  answer  to  them  is  plain.  The  great  needs  of  the  war 
are,  of  course,  men  and  materials;  men  to  risk  their  lives  in 
battle;  men  to  do  many  unaccustomed  and  complicated  things 
demanding  a high  decree  of  intelligence ; larger  numbers  of  men 
to  lead  and  direct  than  are  called  for  in  peace ; men  scientifically 
trained  in  engineering,  in  chemistry,  in  agriculture,  in  medicine ; 
materials  in  the  shape  of  food,  munitions,  supplies,  and  ships. 
The  immediate  call  for  both  men  and  materials  will  doubtless 
drain  the  higher  schools.  It  will  to  some  extent  reduce  the 
attendance  in  the  lower  schools  as  well.  The  young  men  in  our 
colleges  are  already  offering  themselves  by  the  hundreds  for 
national  service,  and  by  preference  in  those  branches  where 
the  danger  is  likely  to  be  greatest.  It  was  to  be  looked  for.  It 
is  the  tradition  of  American  colleges.  But  it  is  none  the  less 
noble  and  glorious  because  expected.  Young  men  in  high  schools 
and  colleges  will  probably  go  out  also  to  fill  the  gaps  in  industry, 
to  help  speed  upon  the  wheels  of  production  in  agriculture  and  in 
the  making  of  supplies.  These  will  be  the  immediate  effects  of  a 
change  from  a peace  to  a war  basis. 

But  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  successful  prosecution 
of  a modern  war  demands  a full  and  constant  flow  of  both  men 
and  materials.  It  demands  not  only  ever  more  men  for  the  firing 
line,  but  also  more  and  more  men  trained  for  leadership,  trained 
for  technical  pursuits.  This  is  pre-eminently  a war  of  engineers, 
of  chemists,  of  doctors,  and  latterly  and  increasingly  of  scientific 
agriculturists.  Both  now  and  later  it  will  demand  large  num- 
bers of  officers,  and  by  the  nature  of  their  training  college  men 
are  among  the  best  fitted  to  acquire  the  knowledge  that  officers 
must  possess.  It  would  be  fatal  to  America’s  prospects  of  suc- 


17 


cess  if  the  supply  of  men  equipped  for  any  of  these  services 
were  cut  off. 

What  is  the  available  supply?  The  last  annual  report  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Education  showed  in  round  numbers  152,000 
men  enrolled  in  colleges  and  universities.  Of  these  about  10,000 
were  graduate  students,  about  32,000  were  studying  engineering, 
and  about  17,000  were  registered  in  agriculture.  The  vast  ma- 
jority were  of  course  undergraduates  in  liberal  arts.  By  common 
consent  the  men  in  the  two  upper  collegiate  classes  and  in  the 
graduate  school  are  the  ones  who  can  make  effective  use  of  their 
training,  whether  it  be  general  or  technical.  Those  who  have 
finished  their  courses  are  naturally  still  better  prepared.  Col- 
leges graduate  something  less  than  15  per  cent  of  their  total 
enrollment.  It  is  safe  to  estimate  that  not  over  40  per  cent  of 
the  whole  number  enrolled  are  included  in  the  three  groups  just 
mentioned.  In  other  words,  there  were  last  year  in  all  the  higher 
institutions  of  the  country  about  61,000  junior  and  senior  and 
graduate  men,  of  whom  about  12,000  were  engineers  and  about 
6,000  agricultural  students. 

Now  consider  certain  details  of  the  immediate  demand.  The 
Secretary  of  War  has  recently  stated  that  20,000  officers  will  be 
needed  as  soon  as  they  can  be  got  ready  to  train  the  first  incre- 
ment of  500,000  troops.  This  is  only  the  first  installment.  More 
than  three  times  that  number  will  be  summoned  as  time  goes 
on.  The  Government  has  just  issued  a call  for  12,000  engineers, 
nearly  as  many  as  are  now  enrolled  in  the  two  upper  classes  of 
all  engineering  schools.  Engineers  are  not  only  indispensable 
to  our  own  army,  for  the  building  of  defenses,  of  bridges,  of 
railways,  and  for  the  designing  and  operating  of  machines ; they 
are  also  urgently  needed  by  our  allies  for  similar  services.  In- 
creasing numbers  of  them  must  be  furnished  both  to  our  own 
forces  and  to  Europe.  The  world  is  facing  a shortage  of  food. 
Unless  more  land  is  brought  under  cultivation  and  more  skill 
is  applied  to  the  production  of  crops,  the  prospect  is  not  pleasant 
to  contemplate.  The  obligation  to  bring  about  this  increased 
production  rests  particularly  on  the  United  States.  The  Presi- 
dent has  emphasized  it  in  a special  message  to  the  nation.  The 
Department  of  Agriculture  is  devoting  every  energy  to  stimulat- 
ing it  and  to  the  conservation  and  efficient  distribution  of  foods 
already  produced.  Mere  hand  power  will  not  alone  be  sufficient, 
however,  to  make  two  blades  of  grass  grow  where  one  grew 


18 


before,  and  even  hand  power  will  be  more  and  more  difficult 
to  secure.  The  intelligent  guidance  of  those  who  have  mastered 
the  science  of  agriculture  is  more  necessary  than  ever.  It  is 
for  the  graduates  of  our  agricultural  colleges  and  for  those  6,000 
upper-class  students  to  furnish  this  scientific  knowledge  and  to 
apply  it  to  the  almost  infinitely  varied  conditions  of  soil,  climate, 
and  product  under  which  the  12  million  persons  engaged  in  agri- 
culture in  the  United  States  work.  Whatever  the  length  of  the 
war  the  shortage  in  the  world's  reserve  of  food  will  apparently 
continue  for  some  years.  With  it  will  continue  the  demand  for 
still  larger  numbers  of  expert  agriculturists. 

The  implication  of  these  statements  is  clear.  The  colleges 
and  technical  schools  must  be  kept  as  far  as  possible  in  full 
operation  in  order  that  there  may  be  no  diminution  in  the  sup- 
ply of  trained  men  and  women.  I have  not  mentioned  the  women 
specifically  before,  but  it  is  obvious  that  they  must  take  many 
places  left  vacant  by  men  and  that  their  part  in  the  conservation 
of  the  country's  resources  will  be  conspicuous.  The  high  schools 
must  perform  the  double  task  of  sending  large  numbers  of  young 
people  to  higher  institutions  and  of  preparing  still  greater  num- 
bers than  at  present  for  industrial  vocations.  It  is  not  a ques- 
tion of  preserving  educational  institutions  at  the  expense  of  the 
country  in  its  hour  of  need.  The  institutions  must  be  preserved 
and  strengthened  for  the  country's  service.  No  other  thought 
animates  those  who  control  them. 

On  the  fifth  day  of  May  some  200  college  presidents  from  all 
parts  of  the  country  assembled  in  Washington  at  the  call  of  the 
Advisory  Commission  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense,  to 
decide  upon  the  general  policy  to  be  pursued  by  their  institu- 
tions during  the  war.  The  meeting  adopted  by  unanimous  vote 
certain  resolutions  and  a statement  of  principles.  As  expressing 
what  I believe  to  be  the  common  sentiment  of  all  educational 
officers  I venture  to  quote  the  simple  and  eloquent  preamble  to 
these  resolutions: 

'Tn  the  supreme  crisis  that  confronts  the  nation  the  colleges 
and  universities  of  America  have  the  single-minded  thought  and 
desire  to  summon  to  the  country's  service  every  resource  at  their 
command ; to  offer  to  the  nation  their  full  strength  without  reser- 
vation ; to  consecrate  anew  their  every  power  to  the  high  task  of 
securing  for  all  mankind  those  ideas  and  ideals  that  gave  them 


19 


birth  and  out  of  which  have  grown  their  most  precious 
traditions/' 

Two  of  the  principles  adopted  by  the  meeting  bear  so  directly 
on  the  point  under  discussion  that  I will  read  them  also : 

'‘We  believe  that  all  young  men  below  the  age  of  liability  ta 
the  selective  draft  and  those  not  recommended  for  special  serv- 
ice, who  can  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunities  offered  by  our 
colleges,  should  be  urged  so  to  do,  in  order  that  they  may  be  able 
to  render  the  most  effective  service  both  during  the  full  period 
of  the  war  and  in  the  trying  times  which  will  follow  its  close. 

“We  believe  that,  in  view  of  the  supreme  importance  of 
applied  science  in  the  present  war,  students  pursuing  technical 
courses  such  as  medicine,  agriculture,  and  engineering  are  ren- 
dering, or  are  to  render,  through  the  continuance  of  their  train- 
ing services  more  valuable  and  efficient  than  if  they  were  to 
enroll  in  military  or  naval  service  at  once." 

The  meeting  left  behind  it  a permanent  committee  organized 
under  the  Council  of  National  Defense  to  consider  how  colleges 
can  be  of  greatest  usefulness  to  the  country  during  the  war, 
to  learn  from  the  Government  departments  the  technical  and 
military  preparation  these  institutions  can  give,  and  to  suggest 
modifications  of  curricula  and  calendars. 

The  first  of  the  principles  I have  quoted  alludes  to  the  period 
which  is  to  follow  the  war.  It  is  difficult  in  a crisis  like  this  to 
look  ahead,  perhaps  a long  way  ahead.  No  prophecy  is  in  fact 
likely  to  be  worth  much.  Nevertheless  it  appears  evident  that 
the  United  States  will  face  certain  new  and  grave  responsibilities 
in  the  days  that  are  to  come.  We  are  now  very  definitely  a part- 
ner of  other  nations.  Our  position  of  complacent  aloofness  is 
gone  forever.  Even  if  peace  should  come  before  our  own  man 
power  and  resources  are  substantially  depleted — a prospect  on 
which  no  one  dares  count — we  are  bound  to  contribute  from  our 
store  of  both  to  replace  the  wreckage  which  our  partners  have 
suffered.  If  the  war  continues  till  we  too  are  drained  the  work 
of  reconstruction  will  be  all  the  greater.  In  any  event,  a por- 
tion of  the  world  must  be  rebuilt  by  our  hands  and  our  brains. 
We  must  furnish  for  this  work  not  only  money,  but  men  of 
scientific  training.  To  that  end,  as  well  as  for  the  prosecution 
of  the  war,  the  full  and  efficient  services  of  our  higher  schools 
will  be  needed. 

A task  is  now  presented  to  the  college  presidents  of  the  coun- 


20 


try  which  requires  the  wisest  judgment,  the  exercise  of  the 
utmost  tact  combined  with  the  utmost  firmness,  the  subordina- 
tion of  every  selfish  desire  for  personal  or  institutional  aggran- 
dizement to  the  interests  of  the  individual  students  under  their 
charge  and  to  the  welfare  of  the  nation.  The  college  president 
is  looked  to  beyond  all  others  to  exert  a steadying  influence  upon 
his  community.  It  falls  to  his  lot  to  keep  constantly  before  its 
eyes  the  purity  and  the  greatness  of  the  mission  upon  which 
America  is  embarked,  to  prevent  the  distortion  of  its  high  pur- 
poses by  those  mean  animosities  which  are  almost  inevitably 
bred  by  the  strains  and  losses  of  war.  He  will  be  relied  upon 
to  make  instant  and  willing  adaptation  of  the  resources  of  his 
institution  to  the  needs  of  the  Government,  in  the  face  of  aca- 
demic inertia  and  without  regard  to  traditions.  It  will  be  his 
duty  to  see  that  the  holy  flame  of  enthusiasm  for  national  serv- 
ice is  not  dimmed  in  the  hearts  of  young  men  and  young  women, 
to  counsel  each  one  wisely,  to  place  no  obstacle  in  the  way  of 
those  whose  consciences  cannot  be  satisfied  except  by  immediate 
enlistment,  and  at  the  same  time  to  interpret  the  dignity  and 
usefulness  of  that  service  which  can  be  rendered  only  after 
patient  preparation.  The  fulfillment  of  this  task  will  place  him 
truly  among  the  builders  of  the  nation. 

President  Rail,  it  is  my  privilege  to  bring  to  you,  as  you  set 
forth  on  this  enterprise,  the  warm  personal  greetings  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Education.  As  a friend  he  offers  you  his 
sincere  good  wishes.  As  the  head  of  that  portion  of  the  Federal 
Government  which  concerns  itself  with  education  he  sends  to 
you  and  to  this  institution  whose  destinies  have  been  placed 
in  your  care  his  official  congratulations. 


21 


ADDRESS  OF  INSTALLATION 

By  Bishop  Samuel  P.  Spreng,  D.D.,  President  of  the  Board 

OF  Trustees 

North-Western  College  has  been  in  operation  as  an  institu- 
tion of  learning  since  1861,  a period  of  56  years.  It  has  been 
known  as  North-Western  College  since  1864,  a period  of  53 
years.  It  has  been  located  in  Naperville  since  1870,  a period  of 
47  years.  It  is  therefore  not  an  experiment  nor  an  adventure  in 
educational  enterprise  but  a firmly  established  institution  with 
more  than  a half  century  of  growth  and  service  behind  it — 
growth  that  has  been  steady  and  constant  and  healthful ; service 
that  has  borne  fruit  in  thousands  of  lives  for  time  and  eternity. 
Its  former  students  and  its  alumni  are  found  in  every  walk 
and  profession  and  calling  in  church,  in  state  and  in  society,  and 
in  every  part  of  the  globe.  They  have  gone  with  Evelyn  Bald- 
win to  polar  regions,  and  with  James  H.  Breasted  to  Egypt’s 
burning  sands  and  cryptic  monuments. 

During  this  entire  time  it  has  had  but  four  presidents,  a 
striking  indication  of  the  stability  and  persistence  of  the  institu- 
tion; perhaps  also  of  the  conservatism  of  its  constituent  body. 
Its  first  president.  Professor  Augustine  A.  Smith,  an  alumnus 
of  Oberlin  College,  assumed  his  duties  in  the  fall  of  1862,  fifty- 
five  years  ago.  Much  of  the  well-known  high  moral  character 
and  lofty  idealism  of  the  college  is  due  to  the  influence  of  this 
great  man  who,  in  the  formative  stage  of  the  institution,  guided 
its  policy,  taught  its  students  and  led  its  faculty  for  a quarter 
century  with  singular  devotion,  skill  and  purpose.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Professor  H.  H.  Rassweiler  who  carried  the  bur- 
dens and  honors  of  the  presidency  for  five  busy  and  prosper- 
ous years.  Then  came  Doctor  H.  J.  Kiekhoefer  with  twenty 
years  of  service  in  this  important  position.  After  an  interim 
in  which  Professor  L.  M.  Umbach  served  as  acting  president. 
Doctor  Lawrence  H.  Seager  also  presided  for  five  years  until 
he  was  elevated  to  the  episcopacy  by  the  General  Conference  of 
1915.  The  present  incumbent  therefore  is  the  fifth  in  the  line 
of  succession. 

North-Western  College  is  a denominational  institution, 
founded,  created  and  maintained  by  and  for  a religious  body 
known  as  the  Evangelical  Association  and  is  in  the  fullest  sense 
an  exponent  of  the  religious  zeal,  the  patriotic  fervor  and  edu- 
cational ideals  of  this  distinctively  American  church.  The  church 


22 


was  founded  at  the  beginning  of  the  republic,  very  soon  after  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  called  the  college  into 
existence  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  Civil  War.  One  can  not 
but  admire  the  faith,  the  courage  and  vision  of  the  men  who, 
in  the  most  trying  period  of  the  Nation’s  history,  undertook  the 
formidable  task  of  launching  an  educational  enterprise  like  this. 
This  should  hearten  us  as  we  think  of  the  fact  that  President 
Rail  begins  his  administration  in  the  midst  of  the  only  real 
world-war  in  history.  The  old  church  will  not  falter  now  in  her 
support  of  this  vital  enterprise. 

This  college  we  believe  is  vitally  essential  to  the  growth  and 
perpetuity  of  the  denomination  and  an  important  instrument  in 
the  fulfillment  of  the  church’s  mission.  But  even  so,  the  church 
is  necessary  to  the  college.  The  two  are  interdependent.  But 
above  and  beyond  that,  the  college  has  been  founded  and  is  being 
maintained  for  the  purpose  of  distinctively  Christian  education. 
We  believe  the  Christian  college  has  a definite  and  vital  mission 
in  the  educational  systems  of  all  Christian  nations  and  especially 
of  America.  The  Christian  college  must  be  loyal  to  scientific 
truth;  must  foster  freedom  of  thought  and  progress  in  scholar- 
ship and  conservatism  in  learning ; but  must,  above  all,  inculcate 
Christian  principles,  inspire  and  sustain  Christian  faith  and  in- 
still the  Christian  spirit ; for  only  so  can  it  lay  a real  foundation 
of  character  and  supply  inspiration  for  the  attainment  of  the 
highest  ideals. 

With  due  appreciation  of  the  honorable  history  of  North- 
Western  College ; with  cordial  recognition  of  the  heroic  services 
of  former  presidents,  and  with  true  vision  of  the  possibilities 
of  the  future  of  the  institution,  the  trustees  have  chosen  Edward 
Everett  Rail,  Ph.D.,  as  the  head  of  our  beloved  college.  In  call- 
ing you,  sir,  to  this  high  position  we  are  aware  that  we  are  invit- 
ing you  to  a grave  responsibility,  but  also  to  an  alluring  oppor- 
tunity. Much  is  expected  of  you.  You  are  to  pilot  the  ship 
through  storm  and  calm  and  hold  her  steady  amid  the  pounding 
billows  of  a troubled  and  restless  age,  an  age  in  which  old  ideas, 
old  forms,  old  institutions  and  standards  are  being  tested  and 
in  part  discarded,  and  in  which  all  things  are  being  made  new. 
We  have  confidence  in  your  character,  your  equipment,  your 
fidelity,  your  devotion.  We  have  confidence  in  the  ability  of 
the  institution  to  maintain  its  steadfast  way  and  even  to  outride 
the  storm  of  the  world-war  by  the  help  of  almighty  God,  under 


23 


your  skilful  guidance.  Above  all,  we  trust  in  Him  who  is  unmeas- 
ured in  power,  perfect  in  wisdom  and  infinite  in  love.  We  cherish 
high  hopes  for  the  future  of  our  college.  We  bespeak  for  you 
and  your  associates  on  the  faculty  the  highest  measure  of  success. 

Therefore,  by  the  authority  vested  in  me  by  the  trustees  and 
in  behalf  of  the  corporation  which  they  represent,  and  whose 
instrument  they  are,  I take  very  great  pleasure  in  placing  in 
your  hand  your  commission  as  president  of  North-Western  Col- 
lege, assuring  you  of  our  co-operation  and  support,  and  praying 
upon  you  the  abundant  blessing  of  our  Heavenly  Father  in  your 
great  task. 


24 


THE  COLLEGE  OF  THE  FUTURE 
Inaugural  Address,  Edward  Everett  Rall,  Ph.D. 

INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS 

One  would  indeed  be  an  ingrate  not  to  be  deeply  moved  by 
all  the  evidences  of  regard  and  appreciation  shown  the  speaker 
on  this  occasion.  One  would  indeed  be  an  indifferent  man  not 
to  feel  the  great  responsibility  of  the  office  into  which  I am  thus 
inducted.  I would  first  of  all,  therefore,  express  my  deepest 
appreciation  of  the  honor  thus  bestowed  upon  me,  of  the  confi- 
dence and  trust  shown,  of  the  generous  words  of  appreciation 
and  of  the  heartiest  and  most  cordial  co-operation  accorded  me 
by  all.  Let  me  express  also  my  full  realization  of  the  magnitude 
of  the  task  herewith  undertaken  and  the  responsibilities  of  the 
office  upon  which  I am  entering. 

I would  not  dare  in  my  own  strength  or  by  my  own  unaided 
efforts  to  undertake  the  task.  I undertake  it  only  because  I count 
with  confidence  on  the  continued  support  and  co-operation  al- 
ready so  generously  accorded  me  by  all  concerned — by  faculty, 
trustees,  alumni,  citizens  of  Naperville,  and  the  church  at  large. 
Only  this  has  made  possible  the  measure  of  success  that  I may 
so  far  have  enjoyed  and  only  this  will  assure  success  in  the 
future.  With  this  cordial  co-operation  of  all  concerned  I feel 
sure  that  North-Western  College  cannot  fail  in  its  great  work. 

But  tasks  such  as  these  demand  more  than  human  wisdom 
and  human  strength,  and  so  I shall  pray  there  may  be  granted  me 
that  wisdom  from  above,  that  divine  strength  and  faith,  which 
alone  can  bring  success  in  our  labors  and  divine  approval  upon 
the  work. 

THE  COLLEGE  OF  THE  FUTURE 

With  your  indulgence  let  me  in  the  short  time  allotted  speak 
to  you  on  my  conception  of  the  college  of  the  future. 

It  is  the  wont  of  older  men  to  look  backward  and  to  recall 
the  achievements  of  the  past;  it  is  the  prerogative  of  younger 
men  to  look  forward  to  the  tasks  still  to  be  achieved.  If  I may 
presume  to  count  myself  still  among  the  latter,  I wish  to  ask 
you  to  take  with  me  a forward  look  and  consider  briefly  the 
college  of  the  future. 

WILL  THERE  BE  A COLLEGE  OF  THE  FUTURE? 

But  before  proceeding  farther  it  seems  necessary  to  consider 
the  question,  ''Will  there  be  a college  of  the  future?’'  Has  the 


25 


college  as  it  has  existed  a place  in  the  educational  system  of  the 
future?  It  has  been  contended  that  the  upward  growth  of  high 
schools  into  junior  colleges  and  the  downward  reach  of  the  pro- 
fessional schools  and  universities  to  the  middle  of  the  college 
period  has  made  unnecessary  the  traditional  college  and  that  it 
is  bound  to  be  crushed  by  these  upper  and  nether  millstones.  One 
need  not  be  alarmed  that  a junior  college,  especially  one  created 
by  the  mere  enlargement  of  a high  school,  will  ever  displace  the 
standard  college  in  the  preparation  of  students  for  professional 
or  for  graduate  study  in  a university.  As  President  Wilson  ex- 
pressed it  while  still  president  of  Princeton,  ‘‘You  cannot  make 
a philosopher  out  of  a sophomore.”  I grant,  however,  that  there 
is  some  truth  in  these  contentions,  but  I am  thoroughly  con- 
vinced that  there  will  always  remain  a place  for  the  college  which 
it  alone  can  fill.  The  phenomenal  increase  in  high  school  gradu- 
ates has  furnished  more  students  than  any  one  type  of  institu- 
tion can  provide  for,  so  that  there  will  always  remain  students 
for  the  old,  along  with  the  many  newer  institutions.  More- 
over, the  far  greater  variety  of  types,  of  degrees  of  ability,  and 
aims  of  this  increasing  flood  of  students  will  demand  a corre- 
sponding variety  of  types  and  aims  among  our  higher  institu- 
tions which  receive  them.  The  college,  therefore,  while  not 
remaining  in  exclusive  possession  of  the  field  as  in  the  past,  will 
always  And  work  within  its  own  peculiar  field.  And  this  will 
be  a real  advantage,  for  it  can  then  more  effectively  perform 
those  specific  tasks  which  we  shall  note  later  as  peculiar  to  the 
college. 

NOT  A UNIVERSITY 

Here,  then,  is  the  first  differentia  of  the  college  of  the  future. 
It  will  not  be  a university,  or  studium  generate  of  the  middle 
ages.  It  will  not  attempt  the  impossible  task  of  fitting  everyone 
for  every  possible  calling.  In  this  respect  it  will  tend  to  return 
to  the  type  of  the  older  college,  omitting  advanced  research  work 
beyond  the  M.A.  degree  as  well  as  many  expensive  professional 
departments.  On  the  other  hand  it  will  not  claim  to  furnish  a 
universal  preparation  through  a single  fixed  curriculum  designed 
equally  for  all  pursuits  as  the  older  college  claimed  to  do. 

NOT  GOVERNED  BY  “FORMAL  DISCIPLINE”  DOCTRINE 

And  here  a second  aspect  of  the  college  of  the  future  emerges. 
It  will  not  be  governed  by  that  philosophy  of  education,  known  as 
the  doctrine  of  “Formal  Discipline.”  By  this  I mean  the  theory 


26 


that  the  exclusive  and  compulsory  pursuit  of  a few  fixed  studies, 
regardless  of  individual  interests,  vocational  destinations,  or 
social  needs,  constitutes  the  chief  instruments  of  a liberal  educa- 
tion. Instead,  the  college  of  the  future  will  be  guided  in  common 
with  all  other  educational  institutions  by  the  principle  that 
courses  of  study,  methods,  and  organization  must  all  be  adapted 
to  individual  differences,  must  take  account  of  vocational  aims 
and  must  be  based  on  social  needs.  These  two  limits  of  all 
educational  endeavor,  the  individual  and  society,  will  control  the 
work  of  the  college. 

MEET  MODERN  SOCIAL  NEEDS 

And  so  in  the  next  place  the  college  of  the  future  will  seek 
more  than  ever  to  meet  modern  social  needs.  It  will  continually 
adapt  its  courses  and  its  methods  to  the  changing  demands  of  the 
age  and  the  society  it  serves.  It  will  find  its  life  in  the  present, 
not  in  the  past.  It  will  relate  its  teachings  to  American,  not  to 
Roman  or  medieval  conditions.  It  will  interpret  the  present 
world  and  its  problems  to  its  students. 

RETAIN  BEST  OF  OLD 

The  college  of  the  future,  however,  will  always  retain  the 
best  of  the  old.  I would  not  be  misunderstood  in  my  reference 
to  the  study  of  the  ancient  and  medieval.  Greek  and  Roman  life 
and  literature  will  always  be  studied  because  they  will  always 
be  modern.  The  problems  of  a Plato  and  a Euripides  are  the 
problems  of  men  always  and  everywhere.  The  qualities  that 
made  Demosthenes  and  Cicero  supreme  as  orators  are  qualities 
which  men  must  always  possess  who  would  persuade  or  convince 
their  fellows.  The  principles  that  made  the  art  of  Homer  and 
Praxiteles  supreme  are  the  eternally  valid  principles  which  must 
guide  poet  and  artist  for  all  time.  The  future  college  will  retain 
the  older  disciplines  but  will  emphasize  their  vital  treatment  and 
their  present  day  applications. 

ADD  NEWER  STUDIES 

Not  only  will  the  college  of  the  future  thus  retain  the  vital 
in  the  old,  but  it  will  continually  add  the  newer  and  more  modern 
studies.  It  will  find  in  modern  politics  and  industry,  in  present 
day  thought  and  life,  materials  as  valuable  in  the  education  of 
the  human  spirit  as  the  college  of  the  past  found  in  the  classics. 
It  will  still  hold  to  the  humanistic  ideal  but  will  give  it  a broader 
and  deeper  meaning,  it  will  still  keep  faith  in  liberal  studies  but 


27 


will  greatly  enlarge  their  number  and  variety.  Practical  studies, 
vocational  courses,  professional  and  pre-professional  studies  will 
all  have  their  places.  A twofold  task  here  awaits  the  master 
educator  who  has  the  genius  to  its  performance,  namely : to  relate 
vitally  the  older  disciplines  to  the  present  day  demands  for  the 
practical;  and  to  make  of  the  newer,  cruder,  practical  studies 
real  instruments  of  education  and  of  culture  instead  of  mere 
producers  of  impersonal  machine-like  efficiency.  In  other  words, 
the  great  problem  of  the  so-called  “new  education”  in  every  field 
is  to  vocationalize  the  older  liberal  studies,  and  conversely  to 
liberalize  the  newer  vocational  studies.  This  is  the  common 
problem  which  high  school,  college,  technical  school,  and  uni- 
versity alike  must  solve.  How  can  real  education,  the  training 
of  intellectual  capacity,  the  cultivation  of  aesthetic  apprecia- 
tion, the  formation  of  moral  judgment  and  will,  and  the  assump- 
tion of  social  obligations — how  can  all  these  fundamental  aims 
of  all  education  be  secured  from  the  newer  studies,  from  cooking 
or  carpentry,  from  banking  or  bridge-building? 

LIBERALIZE  NEWER  STUDIES 

The  solution  to  this  problem  will  be  found,  I believe,  in 
broadening  the  treatment  of  these  subjects  so  as  to  include  these 
four  things:  their  historical  development,  their  relationship  to 
human  progress,  their  underlying  scientific  principles,  and  their 
possible  aesthetic  values.  Thus  the  history  of  industry  is  as 
significant  as  the  history  of  politics  and  as  pregnant  with  human 
values  as  the  history  of  wars.  Likewise  the  development  of  indus- 
trial arts  parallels  the  development  of  civilization.  The  first  task 
of  the  missionary,  for  example,  in  elevating  the  African  savage 
is,  as  someone  has  said,  the  literal  lifting  of  him  up  from  the 
ground,  teaching  him  to  sit  on  a chair,  eat  from  a table,  to  use 
the  tools  and  instruments  of  civilization.  Again,  he  who  would 
be  master  of  any  industry  must  be  master  of  the  principles  of  all 
the  sciences  underlying  that  industry ; in  fact,  it  is  through  their 
industrial  application  that  scientific  principles  can  be  understood 
and  their  study  made  to  appeal  to  the  average  student.  Again, 
beauty  and  utility  are  commensurable.  It  has  been  pointed  out 
that  there  is  an  actual  correlation  between  mechanical  efficiency 
and  aesthetic  proportion.  A modern  mogul  engine,  an  automo- 
bile, or  even  a carpenter’s  tool  grows  in  beauty  as  it  increases  in 
efficiency  and  mechanical  perfection. 


28 


OCCUPY  FIELDS  PECULIARLY  ITS  OWN 

As  has  already  been  suggested,  the  college  of  the  future  will 
limit  itself  to  certain  fields  peculiarly  its  own.  Let  me  enumerate 
these  fields  in  which  the  college  of  the  future  will  be  able  to  render 
its  distinctive  services:  preparation  for  vocations  requiring  the 
ability  to  manage  men,  training  for  leisure,  education  of  women 
and  training  for  the  home,  pre-professional  training  and  voca- 
tional guidance. 

TRAINING  OF  TEACHERS  AND  SOCIAL  WORKERS 

In  the  first  place  the  college  will  furnish  the  best  training 
for  those  vocations  involving  the  management  of  men,  especially 
those  of  teaching,  social  service,  public  or  political  life  and  busi- 
ness. The  training  of  teachers  has  always  been  a special  work 
of  the  small  college.  In  recent  years  this  calling  has  surpassed 
all  others  in  the  number  of  graduates  it  attracts.  Thus  the  largest 
single  group  of  North-Western  Alumni  comprises  the  teachers 
and  this  is  true  practically  of  all  the  smaller  colleges.  The 
superiority  of  the  college  will  be  due  to  the  fact  that  it  will 
contain  upon  its  faculty  superior  teachers,  that  it  will  give  more 
opportunites  for  practical  apprenticeship  not  only  in  the  specific 
work  of  teaching  itself  but  in  all  the  various  social  relationships 
of  the  larger  world  found  in  the  numerous  activities  of  the 
typical  college. 

Again  it  has  been  shown  that  90  per  cent  of  the  preachers 
and  85  per  cent  of  the  social  workers  of  the  country  are  prod- 
ucts of  the  American  colleges.  In  the  higher  ranks  of  public 
service  also  college  graduates  predominate;  not  Doctors  from 
universities,  but  Bachelors  from  small  colleges  fill  the  Houses  of 
Congress. 

TRAINING  FOR  LEISURE 

The  second  field  in  which  the  college  will  have  a special  duty 
is  in  the  training  of  its  youths  for  the  proper  enjoyment  of 
leisure.  The  shortening  of  the  hours  of  labor  and  the  corre- 
sponding increase  in  the  hours  of  leisure  make  imperative  train- 
ing for  a rational  and  elevating  as  well  as  a harmless  and 
enjoyable  use  of  such  leisure.  The  small  college  with  its  varied 
athletic  activities  and  its  wholesome  social  and  literary  life 
offers  unusual  opportunities  for  such  training. 

EDUCATION  OF  WOMEN 

In  the  education  of  women  the  college  will  be  superior  for  it 
will  be  co-educational.  Through  normal  associations  during 


29 


college  life  young  men  and  women  will  be  best  fitted  for  normal 
associations  in  after  life.  In  an  age  which  will  accord  to  women 
equal  opportunities  with  men  in  social,  economic,  and  political 
activities,  an  education  must  be  provided  affording  the  same 
equality  of  opportunity. 

Besides  offering  to  women  the  same  opportunities  as  it  does 
the  men,  the  college  of  the  future  will  also  furnish  that  special 
and  important  training  for  the  home  which  will  ever  remain 
an  essential  element  in  the  education  of  all  women  whether 
destined  for  domestic,  industrial,  or  professional  life. 

PRE-PROFESSIONAL  TRAINING 

Again  the  college  will  enter  even  more  fully  than  it  does  at 
present  into  the  preparation  for  advanced  professional  studies 
by  offering  what  I have  called  '‘pre-professional”  training  in  such 
fields  as  Medicine,  Theology  and  Law.  The  tendency  to  require 
such  training  will  become  more  general  until  for  all  these  fields 
a minimum  of  two  or  three  years  if  not  four  of  preliminary  train- 
ing will  be  demanded.  Not  only  will  the  college  endeavor  more 
fully  to  meet  this  demand  but  it  will  also  recognize  its  obligation 
to  furnish  such  vocational  guidance  to  its  students  that  they  may 
be  enabled  to  find  themselves  and  their  work  in  the  world.  It  is  a 
deplorable  fact  that  many  college  students  enter  and  graduate 
from  college  without  definite  assistance  or  direction  in  the  choice 
of  a profession  and  dependent  chiefly  upon  chance  opportunity  or 
passing  circumstance  to  determine  their  work  in  life.  Thus  in 
a recent  study  of  the  student  body  of  North-Western  college  it 
was  shown  that  among  the  replies  to  the  question  of  vocational 
preference,  the  second  largest  group  comprised  those  who  had 
made  no  choice  whatever.  As  the  elementary  and  high  schools 
have  awakened  to  their  responsibility  in  this  matter  so  the  col- 
leges must  likewise  awake  to  a recognition  of  the  even  greater 
task  of  determining,  guiding  and  stimulating  vocational  choices 
among  its  students. 


REASONS  FOR  SUPERIORITY 

I have  claimed  superiority  for  the  college  of  the  future  in  the 
fields  just  enumerated.  Let  us  briefly  note  some  of  the  reasons 
that  may  be  advanced  for  such  superiority. 

In  the  first  place  the  college  of  the  future  will  limit  the 
number  of  its  students  as  several  colleges  have  already  done, 
seeking  quality  instead  of  quantity.  Thus  the  individual  will 


30 


not  be  lost  in  the  mass.  Students  will  really  know  each  other 
and  will  know  their  instructors  personally.  This  will  afford  also 
greater  opportunities  for  participation  in  the  various  college 
activities  and  more  chances  for  exercising  leadership. 

In  the  next  place  the  college  will  do  superior  work  because 
it  will  place  supreme  importance  upon  personal  relationships 
between  student  and  teacher,  between  student  and  student. 
While  not  neglecting  scholarship  in  its  faculty  it  will  insist  on 
the  higher  qualities  of  personality  and  character  for  its  leaders. 
Likewise  in  its  students,  it  will  seek  to  form  the  man  first,  the 
scholar  afterwards.  It  will  strive  to  produce  character,  devo- 
tion to  the  common  good,  and  to  God.  The  efforts  and  interests 
of  teachers  will  be  directed  as  much  toward  the  student  as  toward 
the  study,  as  much  to  the  discovery  of  men  as  to  the  discovery  of 
truth.  In  administration  and  discipline,  moreover,  the  govern- 
ment of  the  college  will  be  personal  rather  than  mechanical,  will 
appeal  to  moral  rather  than  material  motives. 

In  the  third  place  the  college  will  be  superior  because  it  will 
recognize  and  utilize  more  than  ever  the  great  educational  value 
of  student  activities  outside  the  curriculum.  Such  activities 
make  the  college  more  truly  a microcosm,  a world  in  little,  than 
is  the  case  with  any  other  institution.  Here  will  indeed  be  found 
a real  apprenticeship  in  living,  a real  preparation  for  the  larger 
world  beyond.  This  it  is  which  will  give  the  college  its  unique 
value  in  training  students  for  professions  like  teaching  and  social 
and  political  service  where  co-operation,  leadership,  and  personal 
relationship  with  one’s  fellows  are  of  chief  importance.  While 
not  neglecting  academic  and  professional  training  which  is  essen- 
tial especially  in  the  preparation  for  teaching,  the  college  can 
provide  perhaps  even  better  than  university  or  normal  school 
every  element  needed  in  a teacher:  scholarship,  character, 
loyalty,  adaptability,  leadership. 

Finally  the  college  of  the  future  will  render  all  these  services 
most  satisfactorily  because  it  will  and  must  be  genuinely  and 
positively  Christian — Christian  in  atmosphere,  in  personnel,  and 
in  moral  standards.  It  must  and  will  recognize  definite  religious 
and  moral  training  as  integral  elements  in  all  education  that 
claims  to  be  symmetrical  or  complete.  Thus  it  alone,  within  its 
own  walls,  through  its  own  officers  and  its  own  instructors  can 
supply  every  element,  physical,  intellectual,  social,  moral,  and 
religious,  essential  in  such  a symmetrical  education.  This  con- 


31 


fessedly  is  something  that  a state  institution  is  unable  to  do, 
for  it  must  depend  upon  the  outside  agencies  of  religious  denom- 
inations or  Christian  associations  to  provide  the  religious  element. 

And  because  the  college  is  thus  Christian  it  will  place  personal 
and  human  values  first  in  all  its  endeavors.  Because  of  the 
Christian  devotion  and  idealism  of  its  teachers  it  will  have  power 
to  call  forth  the  highest  and  the  best  in  its  students.  It  will  deem 
service  to  mankind  as  of  more  importance  in  determining  the 
choice  of  vocation  than  mere  material  gain.  Because  it  is  Chris- 
tian it  will  recognize  the  Christian  ministry  and  other  forms  of 
social  service  as  callings  worthy  of  college  men;  and  because  it 
is  Christian  it  will  retain  affiliation  with  organized  Christianity, 
with  some  branch  of  the  Christian  church,  for  the  world  has  yet 
to  find  another  institution  than  the  church  through  which  a vital 
Christianity  can  live  and  grow  and  find  expression.  The  college 
of  the  future  will  not,  however,  be  sectarian,  either  in  its  teach- 
ings or  in  its  control.  It  will  rather  seek  support  and  oversight 
from  the  church,  and  in  turn  furnish  to  the  church  trained  lead- 
ers and  an  educated  ministry,  a vitalized  creed,  and  a body  of 
efficient  as  well  as  devout  laymen.  In  fact,  evidences  are  mul- 
tiplying that  the  breach  between  the  church  and  higher  educa- 
tion, artificially  stimulated  under  the  influence  of  a desire  for 
material  advantage,  is  being  healed  and  that  the  common  aims  of 
the  two  institutions  are  being  more  clearly  seen  and  the  mutual 
advantage  of  co-operation  realized. 

THE  COLLEGE  AND  THE  FUTURE  WORLD  ORDER 

Finally  because  it  thus  makes  human  values  supreme  and  is 
genuinely  Christian,  the  college  of  the  future  will  have  a large 
share  in  the  great  task  of  making  another  world  war  like  that 
of  the  present  forever  impossible.  It  will  render  this  service  first 
by  compelling  men  to  see  that  the  principles  of  Christianity, 
of  justice,  and  of  righteousness  must  become  the  rule  of  conduct 
for  nations  as  they  have  become  the  rule  of  conduct  for  the  indi- 
vidual man,  and  that  it  is  only  upon  the  firm  foundations  of 
Christian  righteousness  and  justice  that  the  world  state  can  be 
founded.  It  will  render  this  service,  further,  by  teaching  men 
to  think  in  world  terms,  by  giving  them  that  insight  into  the 
problems  of  international  law,  justice,  and  commerce  as  can  only 
come  from  disinterested  and  thorough  study  and  that  must  pre- 
vail before  nations  can  deal  justly  one  with  another.  It  will 
render  this  service  in  the  third  place  because  it  will  make  nations 


32 


better  known  to  each  other.  Mutual  knowledge  and  understand- 
ing still  constitute  the  best  safeguards  for  peace,  and  it  is  not 
too  much  to  claim  that  if,  for  another  decade  or  two  Rhodes 
Scholarships  and  Exchange  Professorships  could  have  exerted 
their  beneficent  influences,  the  present  war  would  never  have 
taken  place.  All  the  more  necessary  will  it  be  for  the  colleges 
to  overcome  the  hatreds  that  have  been  engendered  among 
nations  and  to  restore  again  the  spirit  of  fraternity,  forbear- 
ance and  justice  which  alone  will  guarantee  a permanent  peace. 

I trust  that  what  I have  said  will  not  be  viewed  as  a mere 
Utopian  ideal  but  rather  as  a working  faith  to  guide  and  stim- 
ulate the  college  of  today,  an  ideal  in  fact  already  realized  in 
large  part  in  our  best  colleges  and  in  North-Western  College. 

But  to  realize  this  ideal  in  full  measure  is  a large  task  and 
will  be  the  work  of  no  one  individual  or  set  of  individuals,  it  will 
come  only  through  the  united  efforts  of  all  who  have  a share  in 
making  up  the  college : students,  alumni,  faculty,  and  trustees. 
And  only  as  all  shall  labor  thus  together  combining  wisdom 
with  zeal  and  sacrifice  with  prayer  may  we  hope  that  here  at 
North-Western  shall  be  realized  all  that  has  been  set  forth  as 
belonging  to  the  college  of  the  future. 


33 


EXTRACTS  FROM  FIRST  ANNUAL  REPORT  OF  PRESI- 
DENT RALL  TO  THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 

Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  North-Western  College: 

I have  the  honor  to  submit  herewith  my  report  for  the  college 
year  1916-17,  together  with  the  reports  from  the  various  pro- 
fessors and  departments  and  recommendations  for  the  coming 
year. 

First  of  all  I must  express  to  you  my  deep  appreciation  for 
the  unusually  cordial  and  kindly  reception  accorded  to  your 
president  by  the  trustees,  faculty,  students,  citizens  of  Naper- 
ville, alumni,  and  the  church  at  large.  From  every  source  I have 
been  given  most  generous  support  and  have  received  the  most 
friendly  co-operation.  I am  sure  none  could  have  been  received 
more  cordially.  I believe  this  is  due  fully  as  much  to  the  deep 
interest  that  all  have  in  North-Western  College  as  in  their  per- 
sonal regard  for  the  new  president.  I need  not  say  how  much 
this  has  encouraged  me  to  look  forward  hopefully  to  the  future 
of  North-Western  College  and  to  redouble  my  efforts  to  measure 
up  to  the  demands  and  almost  unlimited  opportunities  of  my 
office. 

WORK  OF  THE  YEAR 

I am  glad  to  report  a most  successful  and  prosperous  year 
for  the  college  in  all  its  departments,  thanks  not  so  much  to  the 
new  president  as  to  his  able  predecessor  and  to  the  cordial  co-op- 
eration of  the  faculty,  trustees  and  alumni.  In  reviewing  the 
work  of  the  year,  I wish  to  call  your  attention  to  a number  of 
significant  features. 

ATTENDANCE 

The  total  enrollment  for  the  college  in  all  departments  is  447 
students,  distributed  as  follows : College  proper,  300 ; Academy, 
61 ; School  of  Commerce,  45 ; School  of  Music,  131 ; School  of 
Art,  27  (duplicates  included).  Compared  with  last  year  this 
shows  an  increase  of  35  students  in  the  college  as  a whole,  49 
students,  or  20  per  cent  in  the  college,  and  a loss  of  14  students 
in  the  other  departments.  Certain  significant  features  of  the 
attendance  are  worth  special  mention : 

(a)  The  extremely  rapid  growth  of  the  college  department, 
the  increase  in  four  years  being  143,  or  from  157  to  300,  an 
increase  of  over  90  per  cent.  The  freshman  classes  of  the  last 
four  years  numbered  as  follows:  41,  77,  109,  112,  being  an 
increase  during  that  period  of  174  per  cent. 


34 


(b)  Another  very  significant  feature  is  the  persistence  of 
attendance  of  students  at  North-Western  College.  By  this  I mean 
the  power  of  the  college  to  hold  the  students  to  the  end  of  their 
course  after  once  they  have  entered.  In  a recent  study  made  by 
a professor  in  Beloit  College,  it  was  shown  that  among  thirty- 
one  colleges  and  universities  of  the  middle  west,  North-Western 
College  stood  fourth  in  its  power  to  hold  students.  Excluding 
the  two  state  universities,  we  are  surpassed  only  by  Oberlin  Col- 
lege in  this  respect.  Whereas,  for  the  colleges  of  the  United 
States  as  a whole,  something  under  40  per  cent  of  the  freshmen  j 
who  enter  college  ever  graduate,  in  North-Western  College  during 
the  past  seven  years  approximately  twice  that  number  or  between 

65  per  cent  and  75  per  cent  have  graduated. 

(c)  A third  significant  feature  of  our  attendance  is  the  wide 
territory  from  which  we  draw  our  students.  Whereas  the 
average  college  draws  58  per  cent  of  its  students  from  within  a 
radius  of  fifty  miles,  North-Western  College  draws  less  than  22 
per  cent.  This  of  course  is  primarily  due  to  the  fact  that  our 
constituency  is  widely  scattered  throughout  the  United  States, 
but  it  tends  to  enforce  the  fact  that  we  are  not  drawing  our 
proper  share  of  students  from  within  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  college. 

During  the  past  year  North-Western  College  participated  in 
a statistical  survey  of  Illinois  Colleges  recently  published  by  the 
Council  of  Church  Boards  of  Education.  In  the  comparison  with 
other  Illinois  colleges,  North-Western  College  made  a good  show- 
ing. For  example,  it  was  shown  that  excluding  the  three  largest 
universities,  North-Western  stood  third  among  the  colleges  of 
the  state  in  enrollment  in  the  college.  Another  interesting  study 
concerned  the  reasons  why  students  chose  particular  colleges, 
thus  it  was  shown  that  among  our  freshmen  39  per  cent  gave  the 
church  connection  or  the  religious  life  of  the  college  as  the  chief 
reason  for  coming,  while  another  35  per  cent  mentioned  the  same 
causes  as  their  second  reason ; only  7 per  cent  gave  nearness  of 
college  as  their  reason,  whereas  for  the  colleges  of  the  state  as 
a whole,  23  per  cent  gave  this  as  the  first  reason. 

SURVEY  OF  STUDENT  BODY 

The  above  facts  and  a number  of  other  interesting  statistics 
concerning  our  student  body  were  secured  during  the  past  year 
from  a survey  made  of  the  students.  A few  significant  facts 
brought  out  by  this  survey  are  the  following:  Over  96  per  cent 


35 


of  our  students  are  church  members,  87  per  cent  are  members  of 
the  Evangelical  Association.  Out  of  350  reported,  337  were 
church  members,  11  indicated  a church  preference,  and  only  two 
indicated  neither  preference  nor  membership.  The  average  age 
of  our  senior  class  was  found  to  be  23.7  years,  of  our  freshman 
class,  19.8  years,  whereas,  that  of  the  academy  students  is  22.1 
years  or  higher  than  that  of  either  the  freshman  or  sophomore 
classes.  Again,  it  was  shown  that  87  per  cent  of  the  men  and 
39  per  cent  of  the  women  reported  were  earning  part  or  whole  of 
their  expenses.  It  was  further  shown  that  out  of  a total  of  305 
replies,  123  students  were  planning  on  entering  the  teaching  pro- 
fession, 68  the  ministry  or  similar  service,  while  68  were 
undecided  or  made  no  reply. 

CURRICULUM  CHANGES 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  the  board  to  report  fully  on  some  of 
the  changes  made  by  the  faculty  in  the  various  courses  for  the 
coming  year.  A revision  has  been  made  of  the  courses  for  the 
B.A.  and  B.S.  degrees  and  a full  four-year  course  has  been  out- 
lined for  a degree  of  B.S.  in  Home  Economics.  In  addition,  there 
has  been  definitely  outlined  a Pre-Medical  course  covering  two 
or  three  years,  and  a Pre-Law  course  of  the  same  length  sug- 
gested. The  faculty  has  also  taken  action  allowing  students  who 
have  satisfactorily  completed  their  junior  year  to  secure  a degree 
with  their  class  after  they  have  completed  satisfactorily  a full 
year’s  work  in  a standard  medical  or  law  school.  The  work  in 
education  and  especially  the  courses  in  Practice  Teaching  have 
been  systematized  and  enlarged.  The  six-months’  course  in  the 
School  of  Commerce  has  been  dropped  and  a full  year’s  course  in 
Stenography  outlined.  In  the  School  of  Music  there  has  been 
a thorough  revision  of  the  courses.  Regular  courses  have  been 
outlined  with  definite  entrance  requirements,  equal  to  those  of 
the  college  proper,  covering  two  or  three  years’  work  in  seven 
different  departments,  namely:  piano,  voice,  violin,  pipe  organ, 
band  instruments,  piano  normal,  and  public  school  music.  It 
is  believed  that  the  outlining  of  these  courses  will  tend  to  improve 
the  work  of  the  department,  bring  it  up  to  the  standard  of 
regular  college  work,  and  hold  students  for  a longer  period  of 
attendance. 

ADMINISTRATION  AND  DISCIPLINE 

The  general  conduct  of  the  student  body  has  been  excep- 
tionally good.  The  present  administration  holds  to  the  policy 


36 


of  few  rules,  and  individual  and  collective  responsibility  on  the 
part  of  students  singly  and  in  organizations.  The  faculty  has 
under  consideration  a plan  whereby  a faculty  advisor  will  be 
selected  for  each  organized  class,  society,  or  club  in  the  college 
to  look  after  their  interests  and  aid  them  in  their  activities. 

RELIGIOUS  LIFE 

I am  glad  to  report  a healthy  and  vigorous  religious  life 
among  the  students  of  the  college.  Under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
John  H.  Elliot,  a former  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretary,  we  had  a very 
successful  and  helpful  week  of  prayer.  The  fact  that  96  out  of 
every  100  of  our  students  are  members  of  the  church  is  a tribute 
to  the  strongly  religious  character  of  the  institution.  I have 
been  especially  gratified  at  the  many  religious  organizations  and 
activities  that  are  conducted  by  the  students  entirely  voluntarily. 
The  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  the  student  volunteer  band,  the 
quiet  hour  and  fellowship  meetings,  prayer  meetings,  mission 
study  classes,  and  the  joint  Sunday  meetings  are  all  conducted 
most  efficiently  and  without  any  need  of  direct  suggestion  from 
the  faculty.  Moreover,  in  the  local  church,  Sunday  school,  choir, 
Y.  P.  A.,  the  students  all  take  an  active  part.  These  spontaneous 
and  self-directed  religious  activities  constitute  one  of  the  finest 
elements  in  the  training  furnished  by  the  college. 

OTHER  STUDENT  ACTIVITIES 

From  the  point  of  view  of  the  student  body,  an  important 
change  this  year  has  been  the  abolition  of  the  two  literary 
societies  which  have  had  such  a long  and,  on  the  whole,  honor- 
able career  at  North-Western,  the  Philologian  and  Cliosophic 
societies,  and  a substitution  therefor  of  six  new  societies.  The 
chief  advantage  of  this  change  will,  in  my  opinion,  be  an  oppor- 
tunity for  a more  general  participation  in  society  work  among 
the  students.  In  order  to  supervise  and  limit  the  presentation 
of  amateur  plays  the  faculty  has  approved  an  establishment  of  a 
Dramatic-Arts  society  under  the  direct  supervision  of  the  pro- 
fessor of  English.  This  society  will  tend  to  secure  real  educa- 
tional value  from  the  study  of  standard  plays,  such  as  Shakes- 
peare. 

PROGRAM  FOR  FUTURE  DEVELOPMENT 

Having  thus  reviewed  briefly  the  work  of  the  year,  may  I 
next  outline  what  under  normal  conditions  I consider  the  min- 
imum program  for  the  development  of  North-Western  College 
for  the  next  few  years : 


37 


(a)  Additions  to  the  Faculty. — There  should  be  added  the 
following  position  approximately  in  the  order  of  relative  im- 
portance: (1)  A Department  of  Military  Science;  (2)  Profes- 
sorship of  Physics;  (3)  a second  instructor  in  Home  Economics; 
(4)  a full-time  professor  in  Greek  and  Latin;  (5)  a second  pro- 
fessor in  Psychology  and  Education;  (6)  a full-time  Physical 
director  for  women;  (7)  a full-time  professor  of  Bible  and 
religious  education;  (8)  an  enlargement  of  the  administrative 
force;  (9)  additional  allowance  for  janitor  service;  (10)  a Col- 
lege Department  of  Commerce. 

(b)  Equipment. — In  the  matter  of  equipment  there  is  urgent 
need  for  the  following:  (1)  The  renewal  and  the  expenditure  of 
the  appropriation  already  made  of  $1,200.00  for  physics  appa- 
ratus; (2)  a far  more  generous  provision  for  purchase  of  new 
books  for  the  library.  As  soon  as  possible,  the  appropriation 
should  be  raised  to  $500.00  and  $1,000.00  per  annum  exclusively 
for  the  purchase  of  new  books;  (3)  provision  for  the  proper 
housing  of  the  Herbarium  and  Museum,  a possible  solution  being 
the  placing  of  the  herbarium  on  the  top  floor  of  the  Science  Hall, 
requiring  but  little  in  the  finishing  of  the  room,  and  the  placing 
of  the  museum  on  the  second  floor  of  the  library,  the  chief  expense 
for  which  would  be  the  purchase  of  suitable  cabinets;  (4)  pro- 
vision for  additional  society  halls,  the  space  at  present  occupied 
by  the  museum  being  perhaps  quite  satisfactory  for  the  purpose. 

(c)  Buildings. — It  has  been  well  known  to  the  trustees  for  a 
number  of  years  that  a woman’s  building  would  be  a very  desir- 
able addition  to  our  present  equipment.  Such  a building  should 
not  only  include  dormitory  room  for  from  seventy  to  one  hundred 
women,  but  also  a dining  hall  and  a gymnasium,  and  would  easily 
cost,  if  properly  built,  $100,000.00 ; (2)  a second  building  equally 
needed  is  an  auditorium  or  a combined  auditorium  and  music 
building;  (3)  it  is  also  imperative,  in  order  to  provide  for  the 
future  growth  of  the  college,  that  additional  campus  space  be 
secured  even  though  the  need  therefor  may  not  be  pressing  for 
ten  or  more  years.  Unless  a tract  of  available  vacant  land 
within  reasonable  distance  of  the  campus  be  secured  in  the  near 
future  by  the  college  itself  or  by  friends  in  trust  for  the  college, 
it  will  later  mean  the  expenditure  of  large  sums  to  secure  prop- 
erty that  has  already  been  improved  and  occupied. 

(d)  Future  Development  of  the  Campus. — It  is  quite  im- 
portant that  a carefully  worked  out,  practical  and  artistic  plan 


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for  the  future  development  of  the  campus  and  the  placing  of 
future  buildings  be  provided  for  as  soon  as  possible.  A com- 
petent firm  of  architects  should  be  employed  to  draw  sketches 
for  such  a plan. 

RECOMMENDATIONS  FOR  NEXT  YEAR 

In  spite  of  the  disturbed  conditions  of  the  country  due  to  the 
war,  I believe  it  is  imperative  that  a careful,  thorough  endow- 
ment campaign  be  launched  at  once.  Should  the  war  continue 
a number  of  years  it  will  become  increasingly  difficult  to  secure 
funds.  Should  the  war  close  very  shortly,  the  campaign  could 
proceed  all  the  more  successfully. 

I would  recommend  that  a special  committee  of  the  board  be 
appointed  to  co-operate  with  the  president  and  treasurer  in  the 
conduct  of  this  campaign. 

In  view  of  the  seriously  unsettled  state  of  the  country  due  to 
the  war  and  to  the  rather  problematic  nature  of  our  attendance, 
it  is  difficult  to  find  definite  grounds  for  making  specific  recom- 
mendations for  next  year.  No  one  knows  what  will  be  the  attend- 
ance upon  colleges  and  universities.  This  much  may  be  said, 
however,  that  the  minimum  age  limit  of  the  draft  being  21  years, 
exempts  practically  the  whole  of  the  freshman  and  sophomore 
students,  while  from  those  over  21  only  a very  small  fraction, 
possibly  not  more  than  one-tenth,  will  be  called  during  the  com- 
ing school  year.  However,  we  should  expect  and  plan  for  a 
somewhat  reduced  attendance  or  at  least  no  increase. 

In  view  of  this  condition  it  will  be  wise  to  make  no  addition 
to  the  present  expenditures  except  as  may  be  absolutely  neces- 
sary and  to  reduce  the  expenditures  for  maintenance  and  opera- 
tion to  the  absolute  minimum.  However,  it  would  seem  almost 
impossible  to  reduce  salaries  in  view  of  the  unusual  increase  in 
the  cost  of  living  and  the  present  very  low  scale  of  salaries.  It 
would  seem,  therefore,  that  we  must  count  upon  the  expenditure 
of  practically  the  same  amount  for  next  year  as  was  spent  this 
year  with  the  possible  saving  of  between  $2,000.00  to  $3,000.00, 
as  will  be  shown  in  detail  elsewhere.  This  means  that  there 
should  be  unusual  efforts  put  forth,  first,  to  increase  our  attend- 
ance by  an  extra  effort  through  advertising,  and  secondly,  to 
proceed  at  once  in  increasing  the  productive  funds  of  the  college. 

If  the  board  should  consider  it  proper  to  adopt  the  recom- 
mendations of  the  executive  committee,  a detailed  budget  of  the 


39 


receipts  and  expenditures  for  the  coming  year  will  be  presented 
later. 

I wish  to  recommend  that  the  president  and  the  executive 
committee  be  authorized  to  arrange  for  the  establishment  of 
a department  of  Military  Science,  provided  they  can  secure  with- 
out expense  to  the  college  a detail  of  a suitable  officer  from  the 
War  Department  under  the  National  Defense  Act  of  June  3rd, 
1916.  - In  this  connection  I wish  to  report  that  the  faculty 
recently  passed  a resolution  unanimously  recommending  this 
action.  With  compulsory  military  service  at  present  in  force 
and  with  every  prospect  that  some  form  of  compulsory  military 
training  will  be  required  even  after  the  war,  it  would  simply  be  a 
matter  of  self-protection  for  ourselves  and  our  students  to  pro- 
vide for  such  training.  Space  does  not  permit  a detailed  discus- 
sion of  this  topic  here,  but  in  my  opinion,  this  consideration, 
added  to  the  fact  that  military  training  has  a decided  educational 
value,  makes  the  establishment  of  such  a department  desirable. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

E.  E.  Rall 

May  15,  1917. 


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'-,.V''vv':::i 


